Facilities

Willamette University is located in the heart of the Willamette Valley in historic Salem, the state capital. The College of Law is housed on the beautiful 80-acre campus of the University in the award-winning Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center. The college is situated in close proximity to the state Capitol, the Oregon Supreme Court and the Oregon Court of Appeals and is only a few blocks from the state archives building. Legislative offices and state agencies are located nearby and offer dozens of clerkship and externship opportunities for law students.

The school offers all the cutting-edge amenities a student would expect from a top law school. Bright, modern classrooms provide comfortable, professional environments for learning and include a state-of-the-art wireless network. Both the Collins Legal Center and the law library are accessible to law students on an honor system 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Law Library

The J.W. Long Law Library contains a comprehensive law collection tailored to the law school curriculum. Its many databases and more than 300,000 print volumes and microform volume equivalents include state and federal primary law sources, as well as the leading treatises, periodicals and other secondary sources that are vital to a full understanding of the American law. The library also has special collections in public international law, tax law and labor law and is a Selective Federal Government Documents Depository.

The J.W. Long Law Library, which anchors the north end of the Collins Legal Center, is designed to facilitate student use, convenience and comfort. A three-story glass facade transmits natural light to carrels, tables and lounge seating in an atmosphere conducive to studying. A main floor reading lounge offers students a large selection of popular magazines and newspapers for their enjoyment. Two quiet reading lounges provide comfortable seating for study, rest or reflection. Small conference and video rooms offer additional study options. Conference rooms may be reserved for periods of two hours per group. Study carrrels are found throughout the three floors of the Law Library. Students can opt to share an assigned study carrel during the academic year.

Professional reference librarians are available to assist law students with all aspects of manual and electronic legal research, including use of the internet, Lexis, Westlaw and other research applications on the law school network.

The Law Library maintains an honor system that places a special trust in its students to respect its collection and facilities. Consistent with a sense of community that is based upon professional courtesy and responsibility, law and law/management joint degree students have 24-hour access to the Law Library and all its resources. Other conveniences include free telephones for local and 800 number calling, fax machine use, email and internet accounts and rules permitting non-alcoholic beverages in spill-proof containers. Headphones and tape players may be signed out at the circulation desk. Sample examinations authorized for publication by faculty members as study aids are available online. (A student username and password is required for access.)

The online library catalog includes print, audio, electronic and video entries for the J.W. Long and Mark O. Hatfield libraries, as well as the Oregon State Library and the State of Oregon Law Library (Oregon Supreme Court). Other online library catalogs, including Summit, the academic union catalog for the Northwest, may be searched from our catalog. Students may access our library webpage, online catalog, and databases from any campus computer and from any remote location with access to the internet.

University Facilities

Law students also have access to all the facilities of Willamette University, including the Goudy Dining Commons and The Bistro, University Center, the Willamette Store and much more. The Sparks Physical Education and Recreation Center houses a swimming pool, handball/racquetball courts, weight room, gymnasiums and shower and locker facilities. The University's Hallie Ford Museum of Art is the third largest art museum in the state. The G. Herbert Smith Auditorium hosts the Oregon Symphony's performances in Salem. The recently completed Mary Stuart Rogers Music Center offers state-of-the-art acoustics for small performances of jazz, choral music, chamber music and recitals. The campus provides intramural sports, cultural offerings, student organizations, special events and lectures, as well as the stimulation of 2,600 other Willamette students.